Press [1] For Democracy covers current political news from a transpartisan viewpoint. In other words, putting the country before the party. Extra emphasis on Money in Politics issues.

Tonight: Are You Transpartisan? Is the Coffee Party?

Since its inception, The Coffee Party’s mantra has revolved around transpartisanship. Its mandate was to create a safe place where voices from all parties and all political philosophies could meet to discuss and find workable solutions to our common problems.

To accomplish this lofty goal, our membership make-up needs to include Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Tea Partiers, Greens, Libertarians, Constitutionalists, Socialists, and others. Today we're asking for your help in determining our progress. But to do so, we need your help. Please reply to the following questions:

To do so, please reply to the following questions:

What political party do you belong to? (if any) Do you regularly engage members of other parties in civil, fact-based political dialog? If you do, what topics do you agree on? If you don’t, what’s stopping you?

Tonight, on Press [1] for Democracy, we’ll analyze our results and see what conclusions can be drawn. We’ll also look for ways to improve such exchanges where needed. Listen live on line or call in and be heard at (646) 929-2495. 9 PM EST/7 PM CST/6 PM PST

How Republicans Captured Congress but Surrendered the White House. Once the party of presidents, the GOP in recent elections has failed to pull together convincing national majorities. Republicans have lost four of the last six presidential races and lost the popular vote in five of the last six. In their lone victory, the party incumbent won—during wartime—by the slimmest of margins. In this fascinating and important book, Thomas Schaller examines national Republican politics since President Ronald Reagan left office in 1989. From Newt Gingrich’s ascent to Speaker of the House through the defeat of Mitt Romney in 2012, Schaller traces the Republican Party’s institutional transformation and its broad consequences, not only for Republicans but also for America. Here is Schaller’s message: as the GOP became more conservative, it became more Congress-centered, and as its congressional wing grew more powerful, the party grew more conservative. His belief is that this “dangerous loop”, unless broken, may signal a future of increasing radicalization, dependency on a shrinking pool of voters, and less viability as a true national party. It’s a thought-provoking idea that we invite our Coffee Party USA members to consider by reading the book and joining us for a discussion with the author. A link for purchasing the book can be found on our Coffee Party USA website.

On Monday, March 30 at 8:30pm EST, you will have your chance to ask Professor Schaller about his take on the direction of the Republican Party and what it means for all of us as we host him on our special monthly BlogTalk Radio program event. Mark you calendar now!

I'm back from my three month hiatus and ready to hear what you have been up to and what is calling you to action today. I will open with Coffee Party news and then let THE PEOPLE steer our conversation. Given current events I could talk all day myself, but I know everyone would like to hear YOUR voice. Don't forget to share your events in your community.

There was once a man who set off to change the world, then discovered he didn’t have enough power to change the world. So he decided to change the country...but again failed. So he decided to change his own community with no more luck. He returned home to change his family, who resisted all attempts. He decided to change himself...and succeeded!

As a result, his family was transformed, and that spilled out into his community. His community became a role model for other communities in the country, which was positively changed. And as his country shifted priorities and policies, the world was changed.

We started this conversation three weeks ago in Transpartisan Nation Part 1. Questions we asked on that show included, “Can we let go of the point-scoring, win/lose paradigm? Can we trust each other, provide compassion instead of competition and control our fear long enough to be the change we seek?”

In our blog and today's show, we explore how does one become “transpartisan” and what does this really mean?

Like most in America, my neighborhood back in Marietta, GA is a political hot-box, with folks whose beliefs range from staunch conservative to ultra-progressive, and everywhere in between. But on most summer days, they can be found down at the neighborhood swim and tennis center, where parents converse about local issues such as schools, the proposed new mall, or the fact that police patrols had stepped up nicely after a string of vandalisms were reported. Still others abandon politics for a while in favor of a doubles match against their longtime rival subdivision’s team. And for those hours, these political opposites are caught up in solving common problems; whether how to fund the school's ailing arts program or how to break the guy with the one hundred mile per hour serve. In short, the swim and tennis center provides fertile ground in which transpartisan* values are born and advanced. The questions are, can we apply those same principles to issues with larger geographic reach? And can we make those in Washington understand and promote our goals and our objectives? Tonight, we want to hear your transpartisan success stories and ways to apply those same process to the bigger issues that are facing the vast majority of Americans today. Please join host Dan Aronson as we seek transpartisan solutions to our common problems. Listen in live here here starting at 10PM EST / 7PM PST, or call in to voice your opinion at (646) 929-2495. And when you do, remember to Press [1] for Democracy.

I have recently found myself in the inquiry - do we have what it takes to be a transpartisan nation?

Assuming that We The People have the same goal of an efficient and accountable government, what will it take for us to move beyond the blame game of “how we got here” and focus on making our shared goal a reality? Can we let go of the point-scoring, win/lose paradigm? Can we trust each other, provide compassion instead of competition and control our fear long enough to be the change we seek?

Today’s LUNCH w LOUDEN invites you to join in this important conversation. If we are to make sytemic and sustainable change in our political structure, it will take a strong majority of citizens with skills that promote respect, dignity and collaborative action. We’d like to hear your stories from the field. Are you the change? Or are you locked in identifying the problem?

Health care is a key issue for many Americans today. The Affordable Care Act has prompted debate. Some think it goes too far, and others think it does not go far enough: citizens across the nation are calling for health care for all.

In Oregon there is a movement afoot to move to universal health care. Led by Health Care for All-Oregon (HCAO), groups and citizen supporters "will descend on the Capitol steps in Salem on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., to rally and call on state legislators to act, drawing their attention to the fact that far too many Oregonians still lack affordable health care."

HCAO proposes a health care system that covers everyone living or working in Oregon-no exceptions-with no co-pays and no deductibles.

Our guests today will be Lee Mercer, President of Health Care for All - Oregon, and one of the "Mad as Hell Doctors". They will talk about the rally as well as the facts and philosophy behind their movement.

Lunch with Louden is a part of Coffee Party Internet Radio Network. Follow us on Facebook. Follow the Coffee Party on Facebook and on the web.

Join Coffee Party USA President Debilyn Molineaux and her guest, Joan Blades, as we celebrate 5 years of inciting civility and reason into our political arena. As a part of our honoring our successes, we will also be looking forward to our next steps in making a difference by discussing Ralph Nader’s recent book Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State. We will be listening to Eleanor LeCain interview of Ralph Nader from September 2014 about his book and discussing ideas for how Coffee Party USA and its members can bring greater cooperation to our political forum. Calls from listeners will be taken and we will be reviewing comments left on our website at http://www.coffeepartyusa.com/unstoppable_comments Please join us!

Our current political system dominated by two parties is broken, according to the nearly 130 million eligible American voters who are either registered independent or not registered to vote at all. In this podcast, Michael Ostrolenk speaks with Jim Turner about a new transpartisan approach to solving today’s challenges. People who are told they are on opposite sides of the political spectrum may, in reality, agree on many similar goals and outcomes, says Mr. Turner, one of the original “Nader’s Raiders.” Solutions will be found in focusing on these areas of agreement, rather than continuing unnecessarily bitter and divisive debate stuck in the flawed left/right paradigm. Learn more about transpartisan ideas: read, Voice of the People: The Transpartisan Imperative in American Life co-authored by Mr. Turner.